Late mistakes cost Bonner Springs boys at Tonganoxie

Tonganoxie  For 24 minutes, Bonner Springs was in position to pick up its second win in Kaw Valley League play. As it turns out, though, the end result was another disappointing loss.

The Braves trailed by just two points after three quarters Tuesday at Tonganoxie, but couldn't overcome a late Chieftain surge in a 63-50 loss.

Bonner Springs (3-5, 1-4 KVL) found itself on the wrong side of a 19-13 score early in the second quarter, but scored the next seven points to grab its first lead of the game. The Braves matched the Chieftains (4-3, 2-3) for the rest of the half and went into the locker room up 26-25.

Tonganoxie seemingly regained control and led by as many as eight in the third quarter, but once again, a 7-0 BSHS run turned a potential runaway into a one-possession game. Tonganoxie didn't relinquish the lead this time, though, as it clung to a 45-43 advantage at end of the period.

The fourth quarter belonged entirely to the Chieftains, who shut down the Braves with their zone defense and scored off several costly turnovers down the stretch. Bonner Springs never recovered from the late THS run, and the deficit reached double digits in the game's final minutes.

"We had a lot of mental mistakes that really cost us," Braves coach Dan Streit said. "I thought we played them pretty well, but their 1-3-1 zone, for whatever reason, just threw us out of the game. Once they switched to that zone, we didn't have anybody who wanted to step up and be a shooter. We had guys trying to create on their own, which takes us out of our offense."

Austen Twombley led Bonner Springs with a game-high 18 points. Tonganoxie had four players in double figures. Eric Tate led the way with 15 points.

Tonganoxie will hit the road Friday for a KVL clash with Turner, while Bonner Springs will play host to Mill Valley.

"You can't go back and relive the game," Streit said. "You try to work on the mistakes that you made and get better. Every opponent in the Kaw Valley League is going to be tough. You've got to get yourself ready to play or go home, and we didn't come ready to play."